Wandering in Albion
by Jillcb
Summary: This is a cross over story. With all his friends now gone Merlin takes to wandering around Albion. His only companion is an owl called Archimedes. This is a story about their relationship, one that at times drives Merlin around the bend, and yet the owl has a bit of all of his friends inside him, which gives Merlin some piece of mind, as he wanders the earth waiting.


**Wandering in Albion**

 **Chapter 1**

Merlin was in the middle of a day dream, his whole manner was completely relaxed and at one with his immediate surroundings. He had a happy smile on his face as he rested against the old oak. He allowed his head to fall further back against the bark, stretching his limbs as he did so. Just as he was drifting off nicely a drop of cold water fell on his head, forcing him to jump up in agitation while shaking his head from side to side.

"Ow, what _are_ you doing?" he said an edge in his voice. He looked up high into the tree to see his companion a small owl haughtily drying his wings in the sunshine, as if oblivious to the angry rant of the warlock below him.

"I'm all wet!" Merlin exclaimed trying to stop the water from running further down his face.

"You are _such_ a drama queen at times!" the owl replied. "One drop of water can hardly cover an entire person."

"You are so full of yourself." Merlin said sullenly attempting to rub his face dry.

"No I am merely someone who is not prone to emotional outbursts of inaccurate supposition." The owl replied daring Merlin to argue, as he continued to prune his wing.

"Have you quite finished?" Merlin said rolling his eyes suddenly fully awake. "You do waffle on sometimes."

"No Merlin, I think it is _you_ who waffles on." The owl put his glasses to the end of his nose regarding the warlock. "I am a perfect example of logical and analytical thinking!"

"Is that a fact?" Merlin replied raising his eyebrow at the bird.

From the moment Merlin had come across Archimedes the injured owl and healed his broken wing, they had in actual fact become an inseparable duo. The owl was great company for Merlin, who had to admit Archimedes did have a touch of genuine intelligence about him. Although it was also true to say that he also had an insufferable amount of haughtiness and a know it all attitude, that at times had Merlin wanting to throw him into the nearest pond.

But despite the irritating and superior attitude his companion regularly displayed he would not be without him for the world. For the last five years they had wandered about Albion seeking adventure and solving mysteries that had defied the ordinary folk. Indeed in that time Merlin had managed to almost put the past behind him.

It was not that he didn't think of his friends anymore, more the realisation that thinking and brooding about them would not make it any easier for him. From the moment that Merlin and Archimedes had met, there seemed to be a kind of bond, that Merlin himself could not explain to anyone never mind himself.

Archimedes's own past had been somewhat a mystery. The owl for all his foresight could simply not remember from where he had come from. Merlin had merely found him one afternoon in a bad way having crashed down from a tree. His wing had been badly broken Merlin had meticulously mended it giving the bird both his protection and support.

From that the bond had developed. Archimedes had grumbled from the moment that Merlin had picked the owl up that cool breezy day. Once Merlin had got over the fact that the owl could talk at all, after all who was Merlin to ask questions considering he could once talk with a dragon. Merlin just accepted the status quo, although even now the idea that the owl actually wore glasses, did flummoxed the warlock somewhat.

Archimedes for his part could not understand Merlin's disbelief. The owl would mumble to himself about the "incredible illogical state of the human intelligence" and would leave it at that.

Merlin in the end learnt to just accept things as they were, after everything he had experienced who was he to dismiss anything anyway? For the most part the travelling around from place to place would allow Merlin to stop his mind from wandering back to the days of Camelot and his dear friends whom he still missed endlessly.

Yet despite the companionship and enjoyment it didn't mean that the warlock did not have the odd day when he questioned himself all over again. Here was the difference between himself and the owl. For Merlin he was merely being normal, but for Archimedes it was a clear example of the inferior human mind, against his totally practical one. But sometimes Merlin just could not help himself.

As Merlin sat down breaking twigs with his hands he looked out over the landscape. Suddenly he was lost in his melancholy thoughts, and despite knowing the reaction he would get from his Avian friend, he just couldn't help himself.

"Have you ever wondered what it's about Archimedes?" Merlin asked dreamily.

"No." Archimedes replied promptly. "Thinking such things is pointless and trivial. We exist to do what we are meant to do Merlin, always remember that."

As he finished his answer, the owl's fluffy eyebrow rose meeting together in a stern but familiar way.

Suddenly Merlin saw Gaius, and not for the first time he saw the qualities that both his former tutor and Archimedes shared. It always shocked him when he recognised them, as if it had never occurred to him before. But in actual fact he saw many qualities of his former friends in his latest companion.

The wise counsel of Gaius, the know it all and bantering of Arthur, but there was also the caring side of Gwen, yes even Archimedes had such moments. Merlin suddenly realised that his friend was a mixture of all the good and bad things in his world. As Merlin considered Archimedes's answer he grew rebellious, just for once he reasoned he felt his friend was wrong.

"Yes but surely we can aim for better things." Merlin suggested.

"Aim for Merlin? Aim for?" Archimedes swooned throwing his wings in a theatrical way as if fighting away a swarm of bees.

"I mean do something that you've never done before, something you never felt possible." Merlin continued determined to argue the point.

"What would you like me to do Merlin?" Archimedes replied regarding him closely with a tone of mild exasperation. "I am an owl, not a fish. I fly I cannot swim under water I do what owls are meant to do, that is all."

Whenever the owl dismissed things that Merlin said, his voice would often sound wonderfully disinterested. As if he could hardly be bothered listening to such utter nonsense. Merlin was by now quite use to it. The first time he had met him though it had left him quite speechless, something quite rare for Merlin!

But the more he got to know the miserable owl the more he learnt to accept him for what he was. Archimedes was at heart a very simple and contented soul. He just accepted his lot for what it was, and never tried to do things he knew he could never do. He had a very logical and clear mind. He just accepted things as they were and never tried to question things for which there was no answer.

In a lot of ways Merlin envied him, when he thought of the regular stress he would put himself through. For Archimedes that was a pointless exercise, which only led to despair. Emotion was something that the wise old owl put firmly on the back burner. Merlin though knew he could not, so he continued to rebel.

"Well that is where we are different." Merlin announced. "Today I am going to try the impossible!"

" _If_ you are going to try the impossible, then you are not going to succeed. The impossible _is_ impossible after all." Archimedes said staring straight at the warlock to make his point.

"Well I disagree." Merlin replied definitely.

"You can disagree all you like Merlin. It will not make one iota of a difference." Archimedes drooled, looking at Merlin as if he was a naive child.

Merlin rolled his eyes in a exasperated manner. At times arguing with Archimedes took him back to his Camelot days. He would remember the endless bantering he had shared with Arthur. It was then that he appreciated just how much Archimedes had indeed taken the place of his friend.


End file.
